Sunday, March 28, 2004
Finally, something positive on the "phishing" front. Zachary Hill of Houston, TX was arrested and plead guilty to charges that he created official looking AOL and PayPal messages. Hill was gathering Social Security Numbers, mother's maiden names, bank account numbers and other confidential consumer information.
The FTC shut him down last December 4, after he illegally gained $75M from about 400 people.
The FTC shut him down last December 4, after he illegally gained $75M from about 400 people.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
wftv.com in Florida reports approximately $13,000 in funny money has been seized in central Florida so far and there may be more out there. They are putting businesses on alert that these South American bills started showing up in January and keep coming in.
Friday, March 05, 2004
Naked, Ink-Stained Robber Caught
I'm sure it wasn't fun duty for the Hollywood, Florida cops who arrested him, but by arresting 42-year-old Kenneth Blackstun, they got a five time bank robber off the street. A former jockey, Blackstun was without clothes and stained by a dye pack when he was nabbed. Read more.
I'm sure it wasn't fun duty for the Hollywood, Florida cops who arrested him, but by arresting 42-year-old Kenneth Blackstun, they got a five time bank robber off the street. A former jockey, Blackstun was without clothes and stained by a dye pack when he was nabbed. Read more.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
1 City; 3 Robberies; 2 hours
On 3/2/04, robbers struck three Tulsa area financial institutions within a two-hour stretch -- two banks and a cash advance business. Two of the robberies may have been committed by the same person, although the attire was different. What was the one thing in common between all three robberies? Hats (and sunglasses in two of the three). In the Bank of Oklahoma robbery, the man reportedly had on a black baseball cap with a Rose Bowl insignia. In the First American Cash Advance robbery, the bandit had on a white beanie cap (!). The Tulsa National Bank robber wore a dark floppy hat and sunglasses. COCHA, the Central Oklahoma Clearinghouse Association, has the pictures. Bank of Oklahoma robbery. Tulsa National Bank.
On 3/2/04, robbers struck three Tulsa area financial institutions within a two-hour stretch -- two banks and a cash advance business. Two of the robberies may have been committed by the same person, although the attire was different. What was the one thing in common between all three robberies? Hats (and sunglasses in two of the three). In the Bank of Oklahoma robbery, the man reportedly had on a black baseball cap with a Rose Bowl insignia. In the First American Cash Advance robbery, the bandit had on a white beanie cap (!). The Tulsa National Bank robber wore a dark floppy hat and sunglasses. COCHA, the Central Oklahoma Clearinghouse Association, has the pictures. Bank of Oklahoma robbery. Tulsa National Bank.
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Supposedly Dying Man Robs Banks
A bank robber operating in the Miami area (six banks so far) tells tellers he's dying and indicates he's willing to kill everyone in the bank. With an eye patch on his right eye, this 40-ish bandit appears to be becoming increasingly more dangerous and needs to be caught. Read more.
A different robber with an eyepatch was caught in Detroit. He said the box he carried contained explosives. The teller slipped him a dye pack and it subsequently exploded. There he sat, eating lunch in a Deli down the street with dye on his hands. A robber hit the Henrietta, NY branch of HSBC Bank on 3/3, wearing a baseball cap, and another robber hit Union Planters Bank in Biloxi, also hiding behind a ball cap. On that same day, a guy who had robbed a B of A branch with a note saying "Give me $8,000 or I'll kill you" was nabbed by an alert narcotics inspector. The guy had been out of prison just seven days! Don't you love it when technology helps catch up with elusive felons? After 15 years, a match of a fingerprint on a robbery note has resulted in the apprehension of a bank robber. Read more.
A bank robber operating in the Miami area (six banks so far) tells tellers he's dying and indicates he's willing to kill everyone in the bank. With an eye patch on his right eye, this 40-ish bandit appears to be becoming increasingly more dangerous and needs to be caught. Read more.
A different robber with an eyepatch was caught in Detroit. He said the box he carried contained explosives. The teller slipped him a dye pack and it subsequently exploded. There he sat, eating lunch in a Deli down the street with dye on his hands. A robber hit the Henrietta, NY branch of HSBC Bank on 3/3, wearing a baseball cap, and another robber hit Union Planters Bank in Biloxi, also hiding behind a ball cap. On that same day, a guy who had robbed a B of A branch with a note saying "Give me $8,000 or I'll kill you" was nabbed by an alert narcotics inspector. The guy had been out of prison just seven days! Don't you love it when technology helps catch up with elusive felons? After 15 years, a match of a fingerprint on a robbery note has resulted in the apprehension of a bank robber. Read more.
The report Andy makes below about the robbery of an armored car by six men with assault rifles is not good news. We certainly hope it doesn't signal a return to the violence so often present in the 80s when LA was the "bank robbery capitol of the world".
Don't forget the two printable robbery deterrence signs you can print out from the Security Power Tools section of Banker Tools. See images below:
Don't forget the two printable robbery deterrence signs you can print out from the Security Power Tools section of Banker Tools. See images below:
March 2, 2004 saw a robbery of an armored car while it was at a Bank of America branch in Los Angeles. SFGate.com reports six men with assault rifles attacked the armored car, killing one of the guards. More than 50 rounds were fired during the robbery.
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
Bank Robbery is an equal opportunity crime
There's a female bank robber on the loose in the Portland area. What a surprise -- she's wearing a ball cap! Another lady looter robbed a Wachovia branch in Stone Mountain, Ga. This hefty mama (estimated weight 230 to 250 pounds) was reportedly wearing a burgundy wig.
Someone raised the nephew right
Criminals love to brag about their work, and Charles Ferguson was evidently no exception. He confided in his nephew that he had robbed a bank, and even told him where the loot was stashed. The nephew confirmed the story, recovered the money, and after wrestling with his conscience (how else to explain the 2 week delay), went to the police. Good for him! Not all branches of the family tree are rotten, evidently. Read more.
There's a female bank robber on the loose in the Portland area. What a surprise -- she's wearing a ball cap! Another lady looter robbed a Wachovia branch in Stone Mountain, Ga. This hefty mama (estimated weight 230 to 250 pounds) was reportedly wearing a burgundy wig.
Someone raised the nephew right
Criminals love to brag about their work, and Charles Ferguson was evidently no exception. He confided in his nephew that he had robbed a bank, and even told him where the loot was stashed. The nephew confirmed the story, recovered the money, and after wrestling with his conscience (how else to explain the 2 week delay), went to the police. Good for him! Not all branches of the family tree are rotten, evidently. Read more.
Monday, March 01, 2004
C-Net News reports that ID theft is a concern of most consumers. RSA Security recently released the results of a study conducted with over 1,000 consumers.
While consumers recognize the importance of passwords in today's electronic environment, about 2 in 3 use less than 5 passwords and more than 1 in 10 uses only one, for everything.
53% felt that their financial institutions had the duty to protect them.
Perception is reality. Do you have a program in place to remind, or force consumers to use strong passwords and to change them periodically? If you don't, consider it. The next upset customer to leave a bank may be one of yours.
While consumers recognize the importance of passwords in today's electronic environment, about 2 in 3 use less than 5 passwords and more than 1 in 10 uses only one, for everything.
53% felt that their financial institutions had the duty to protect them.
Perception is reality. Do you have a program in place to remind, or force consumers to use strong passwords and to change them periodically? If you don't, consider it. The next upset customer to leave a bank may be one of yours.
